| Username |
Post |
| isolated freak |
Posted
on 21-Apr-03 11:47 AM
Hey bhagwaan, kasto kaliyug lagya..Its surprising that there hasn't been a single reported case of SARS in Nepal despite the fact that we have direct airlinks to Singapore, Malaysia, HongKong, Bangkok and Shanghai.
Anyway, what follows is from today's the Guardian.
China says Sars outbreak is 10 times worse than admitted
John Gittings in Shanghai and James Meikle
Monday April 21, 2003
The Guardian
The Chinese government sacked its health minister and another senior official yesterday in an attempt to establish credibility for its handling of the Sars health crisis as the death toll continued to mount.
Officials also conceded that the problem in Beijing was nearly 10 times worse than had been admitted, and ordered the cancellation of the week-long May Day holiday in an effort to halt the spread of infection from severe acute respiratory syndrome.
There were also concerns in Hong Kong and Toronto that more young, otherwise healthy adults were falling victim to Sars, fuelling fears that the virus had mutated into a more virulent form.
More than 200 people in seven countries have died, while 3,800 people have been infected worldwide.
The World Health Organisation has been increasingly angry that China has been covering up the scale of the problem. The southern province of Guangdong was probably the site of the first outbreak of Sars as long ago as November, but authorities did not notify the WHO of 305 cases of "atypical pneumonia", including five deaths, until mid-February.
A worldwide health alert was only issued in mid-March as the disease appeared in Vietnam and Hong Kong.
China's deputy health minister, Gao Qiang, said yesterday that the correct number of Sars cases in Beijing was 339, not 37, and added that there were more than 400 suspected cases in the capital. WHO officials have questioned China's definition of this category.
The new numbers raise the cumulative total in China, not counting Hong Kong, to 1,807, including 79 deaths. But two-thirds of Chinese provinces have not reported a single case, despite the speed at which Sars has appeared in other parts of the world.
Beijing's belated honesty comes after China's new leaders, President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, intervened last week as foreign criticism grew.
The ruling central committee yesterday removed the health minister, Zhang Wenkang, who had insisted the crisis was "under control", and the Beijing mayor, Meng Xuenong, from their Communist party positions, essentially sacking them from their government jobs.
Mr Gao, the deputy minister, stressed that from now on "under-reporting, late reporting or failure to report" Sars cases would not be allowed. Explaining the discrepancy in figures, he blamed his min istry for "not being well-prepared for public health emergencies" and admitted that "the epidemic control system is comparatively weak".
Mr Gao also promised aid for China's poor, especially in rural areas, who might avoid hospitals for fear of medical expenses. If the outbreak spread in the countryside, he said, "the consequences would be grim".
Beijing is now the third hardest hit area after Guangdong and Hong Kong, where the known death toll is 88. Fourteen people have died in Canada.
Several boarding schools are insisting that pupils returning from affected parts of Asia undergo 10 days of quarantine.
Professor Angus Nicoll, director of the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre at the health protection agency, said: "We understand the anxiety there is in schools but this isn't necessarily a policy we would support. Looking at the pattern of this infection, it is actually quite uncommon in young children."
|
| isolated freak |
Posted
on 21-Apr-03 11:51 AM
What it is and how to avoid it
James Meikle
Monday April 21, 2003
The Guardian
What is Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars)?
A serious disease which first seems to have emerged in the Guangdong province of southern China in November last year, although global alerts were not issued until last month. The scientist who sounded the alarm as the disease hit Hanoi in Vietnam has since died from it in Bangkok, Thailand.
There have been deaths in China, Hong Kong, Canada, Singapore , Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia. Cases have been reported in 16 other countries, including the UK where there have been six cases. About 200 have died, from 3,800 infections.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is furious that Chinese officials failed to alert them to early signs of an epidemic and later underplayed its seriousness.
What are the symptoms?
High fever, with a temperature of more than 38C (100F), a dry cough, breathing difficulties. Chest X-rays can suggest pneumonia.
How contagious is it?
It seems mainly to be spread through droplets, particularly coughing and sneezing.
Many of the early victims are close relatives, friends or hospital staff who might not have taken sufficiently strong precautions when treating patients with what was an unknown threat.
However, the presence of a large cluster of cases on a Hong Kong housing estate has raised new questions about its virulence.
The symptoms of victims in the former colony, and the hospital staff treating them, seem to be more severe and there are concerns that the disease might already be mutating into a new, more dangerous form.
In Canada, much of the concern has centred around a cluster of 31 suspect and probable cases in members of a charismatic religious group and their close contacts. Health authorities there are struggling to identify every person at potential risk, amid fears the disease might spread to the general community.
What causes it?
Quick cooperation between 13 laboratories in 10 countries has satisfied the WHO that the culprit is a member of the coronavirus family never before seen in humans. A relative is the causes of the common cold. It has probably sprung from close contact with animals.
What is the best treatment?
No one yet knows. Scientists are working to devise effective answers now they know what they are trying to fight. Antiviral treatments and antibiotics have been used so far.
How fast does it travel?
Very, probably thanks to air travel. One of the six British cases had not been to Asia recently, but he had met a businessman who had.
What precautions are being taken?
A number of countries have set up quarantine precautions for people returning home from affected Chinese regions. WHO and the Foreign Office is advising against travel there and Vietnam is thinking of closing its border with China.
However, British health officials think that quarantining students returning to Britain from affected countries would be an over-reaction, given screening arrangements before they are allowed on flights. They recommend monitoring their health.
Should we wear masks?
Surgical masks offer only limited protection at best. Cycle masks against city pollution might be better. But simpler precautions, such as regular washing of hands, are probably a better bet since viruses can spread like wildfire through contact with infected hands or surfaces.
|
| isolated freak |
Posted
on 21-Apr-03 12:02 PM
Does anyone know of any REPORTED SARS case/victim in Nepal? Thanks.
|
| porky |
Posted
on 21-Apr-03 01:06 PM
IF,
death toll on the rise...morning news reported above 250 deaths.
heard of one nepali who died upon returning from a conference in bkk, this is not confirmed yet.
|
| gorato |
Posted
on 21-Apr-03 01:28 PM
So far, WHO from Nepal has not report anything about it. But in India, a person died in Goa and now a family from Pune is affected by SARS.How safe will it be to travel our country now? And which Airlines would be the safest connection to get over there?Any suggestions from Sajha bashi?
|
